Information for

Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID‑19)

Maine CDC will continue to regularly update this page. For additional resources and up-to-date information, please visit the U.S. CDC's COVID‑19 website.

Maine CDC is responding to the COVID‑19 pandemic, caused by a novel (new) coronavirus. We urge Maine people to practice good hand hygiene, cover coughs and sneezes, and stay home as much as possible. If you are concerned that you have been exposed to COVID‑19, call your health care provider, who will determine whether you should be tested and, as appropriate, submit a sample for testing.

*Not all labs report results to the Maine CDC electronically. Labs reporting manually report only the positve results and are therefore excluded for purposes of calculating the percent positivity rate.

When are Data Updated? Data are updated daily between 11:30 AM and 12:30 PM with COVID-19 results included as of 11:59 PM the previous day.

Who is Included in the Data? Data are about individuals who claim residency in Maine regardless of what state they were tested in, or where they are currently living. For example, an individual who claims residency in Maine but lives in Florida will appear in this data even if they were living in Florida at the time of illness. County listings are by residence of patient, not location of the hospital or testing location.

What are Confirmed Cases? This represents the number of persons tested with a SARS CoV-2 PCR test result from any approved lab.

What are Probable Cases? There are two instances in which someone can meet the probable case definition:

A close contact identified through an epidemiological investigation of a confirmed case becomes symptomatic OR

An individual has a positive SARS-CoV-2 serology test AND

Is a close contact of a confirmed case (as identified through an epidemiological investigation) OR

Is symptomatic with:

A cough and/or shortness of breath or difficulty breathing OR

At least two of the following symptoms:

Fever

Chills

Repeated shaking with chills

Muscle pain

Headache

Sore throat

New loss of taste or smell

What are Recovered Cases? Recovered means a person has met the released from isolation requirements defined by Federal CDC. The requirements are: at least 3 days (72 hours) have passed since recovery, defined as resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath); and, at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.

What are Other Cases? Other Cases is the number of cases left over after removing recovered and deaths from the cumulative total.

What is an Indeterminate Test? Indeterminate means that the test did not provide a clear negative or positive result.

What is Included in Deaths?A COVID-19 associated death is defined as a death resulting from an illness that is clinically compatible with COVID-19 that is confirmed by an appropriate laboratory test. There should be no period of complete recovery between the illness and death. It is not necessary that COVID-19 be the primary cause of death.

What Categories are Mutually Exclusive? The only categories that are mutually exclusive are Deaths and Recovered. Deaths are counted both in Cumulative Confirmed/Probable Cases and Deaths. Hospitalizations are counted in the Cumulative Confirmed/Probable and may also be counted in Deaths or Recovered depending on the outcome of the individual.

What are Some Limitations? Confirmed data represent only those individuals with positive test results, which likely under-represents the true number of cases in Maine. For individuals not considered to be at high risk, medical providers were advised to diagnose COVID-19 based on symptoms prior to May 18, 2020. Those diagnoses are not reported. All data are preliminary and may change as Maine CDC investigates confirmed cases.

What do I do if I'm traveling or returning to Maine from out of state?

It is mandated that all out-of-state travelers coming into Maine, as well as Maine residents returning to Maine, complete a 14-day quarantine upon arrival. This means:

You need to arrive with enough food for 14 days or arrange to have food delivered to you. You cannot go out to grocery stores.

Stay at home. You cannot go out to public places.

Avoid contact with others, especially those who are at high risk of severe COVID-19 illness.

There is no order to quarantine for people who make short trips back and forth across the border for work. Travel should be limited to essential trips.

Current Testing Guidelines for Maine State Lab

The acquisition of the IDEXX PCR Test Kit enables Maine's Health and Environmental Testing Laboratory (HETL) to process up to 1,000 tests each day. Training on the new equipment and quality assurance have been completed. Therefore, HETL can now conduct an increased number of tests.

Effective Monday May 18, 2020, the testing priorities and tiers outlined in the March 19, 2020, HAN “Updated Guidance for COVID-19: Prioritization of Testing and Discontinuation of Home Isolation” are rescinded and the following new guidelines are established:

HETL will now test specimens from any personwho has one or more symptoms that are consistent with COVID-19. Testing must be ordered by a clinician.

Maine health care providers should use their clinical judgment to determine if a patient has signs and symptoms compatible with COVID-19 and whether the patient should be tested.

HETL willnow also test persons without symptoms who may be at risk for spreading COVID-19 to others. As examples, these may include but are not limited to:

Asymptomatic close contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases in an outbreak setting. For reference, Maine CDC generally defines an “outbreak” as three or more epidemiologically linked cases of a specific disease, and generally defines “close contacts” as individuals who have spent 30 minutes or more within 6 ft of an individual with confirmed COVID-19.

Asymptomatic health care workers, including first responders, who have had contact with or exposure to a confirmed COVID-19 case; or

Asymptomatic persons tested as part of a sentinel COVID-19 disease surveillance program established by Maine CDC.

In order to maintain laboratory capacity for the activities noted above, HETL will not test specimens collected by congregate facilities that choose to conduct universal testing of their staff and residents when that recommendation has not been approved by Maine CDC.

Maine CDC recommends following the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Guidelines on the Diagnosis of COVID-19. Read the IDSA Guidelines.

Accessing Testing At HETL. If facility has not previously submitted specimens to HETL, please set up an account with HETL PRIOR to submitting any samples to HETL for COVID testing. To set up an account, please fax the following information to HETL at 207-287-1727:

Facility name

Contact name

Facility address

Phone number, and

Confidential fax number.

HETL will contact your facility with confirmation of receipt of the information.
Once an account is established, specimens can be forwarded to HETL.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is COVID‑19?

COVID‑19 is a novel (new) coronavirus which was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China and has now been detected in other countries, including the United States.

For some, the respiratory virus causes mild symptoms like the common cold or influenza (flu), for others it can cause severe pneumonia that requires medical care or hospitalization.

The virus is named "SARS-CoV-2" and the disease it causes is named "coronavirus disease 2019" (abbreviated "COVID‑19").

What are the Symptoms?

People with these symptoms or combinations of symptoms may have COVID-19:

Cough

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Fever

Chills

Repeated shaking with chills

Muscle pain

Headache

Sore throat

New loss of taste or smell

Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure.

Most patients experience mild symptoms and can recuperate at home, but others, particularly those with underlying medical conditions, may experience more severe respiratory illness. Learn more about COVID-19 symptoms.

How does it spread?

The virus appears to spread in similar ways to influenza (flu) and the common cold. This may include spreading through:

The air by coughing and sneezing

Close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands

Touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes

The virus can spread from person-to-person and in some locations there is apparent community spread, meaning some people are infected and are not sure how or where they became infected. Find out more about how COVID-19 spreads.

How can I help to prevent the spread?

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer

Avoid close contact with people who are sick

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands

Stay home while you're sick and avoid close contact with others

Currently there is no vaccine available to prevent the spread of COVID‑19.

What should I do if I have symptoms?

Call ahead to a health care professional if you develop a fever and symptoms of respiratory illness, such as cough or difficulty breathing. Tell your health care professional about any recent contact with other COVID‑19 cases. Your healthcare professional will work with Maine CDC to determine if you need to be tested for COVID‑19.

Interim Guidance for Healthcare Professionals

Healthcare providers no longer need to call Maine CDC about when they test a patient for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‑19). Clinicians should use their judgment to determine if a patient has signs and symptoms compatible with COVID-19 and whether the patient should be tested.

No vaccine for COVID-19 is currently available; however, vaccine trials are in progress.